A Florida man beat a child for nearly 30 minutes after losing a couch pillow, deputies say

A Florida couple has been charged with child abuse after authorities say the man beat the child for nearly half an hour and his wife failed to help the boy.

The incident happened Dec. 7 in Kissimmee and was partially caught on the family’s surveillance cameras, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in central Florida.

Someone notified the Department of Children and Families and law enforcement about the Dec. 11 incident, the sheriff’s office said. news release.

According to authorities, the man, Lance Rachel, was enraged about a couch cushion being moved into the family’s home, and then he accused the boy in the home of lying about it. He cursed at the boy and physically abused him for 28 minutes, authorities said, adding that he hit the child more than 50 times with a belt.

“He was also choked and called several profanities and other obscenities,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

The man threatened to break the boy’s jaw, the sheriff says

At least once during the incident, Rachel told the boy she was going to break his jaw, the sheriff’s department said.

Detectives interviewed Rachel on Monday and she confirmed that the incident had occurred, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Rachel, 42, was charged with aggravated child abuse and strangulation, according to online court documents.

His wife, Kimberly Rachel, 35, was arrested for failure to report child abuse, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

In the video released in the press release, the two can be seen being escorted out of the house in police custody.

“Corporally punishing your child is one thing, but child abuse and taking it too far is against the law,” said Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez in the video.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said anyone with information about the case is asked to call the office at (407) 348-2222.

Saline Martin is a reporter for the USA TODAY NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or write to her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A man in Florida is accused of beating a child for losing a couch cushion